Bernd and Hilla Becher-The first 15 books published, all first editions

There are few photographers with work as obsessively cohesive as that of Bernd and Hilla Becher. The German husband and wife duo spent their entire career photographing nothing but industrial structures. For this reason, a Becher photograph is almost immediately recognizable–the industrial subject matter, the muted black & white tones, the focus on form, and the absence of any people or activity. They don’t have “periods;” they have one massive project spanning nearly five decades of photography together.

The Bechers’ began working together in 1959 (they were married in 1961), and continued until Bernd’s death in 2007. Their constant goal was to document the architectural forms of industry—gas tanks, grain silos, water towers, blast furnaces, storage barns—mostly in Europe but also in the United States. A group of shots of one specific type of structure would be displayed together, either in a monograph or hung in a grid, in order to create a formal comparison or “typology.” It is this emphasis on form that is most crucial in the Bechers’ work.

The first 15 books published by the couple, first edition
List of title:
-Anonyme Skulpturen, 1970
Publisher: Art-Press, Koln
-Die Architektur Dertorder Und Wassertume, 1971
Publisher: Prestel, Munchen
-Fachwerkhauser, 1977
Publisher: Schirmen Verlag, Munchen
- Zeche Zollern 2, 1977
Publisher: Prestel, Munchen
-Forderturme Chevalements Mineheads, 1985
Publisher: Schirmer-Mosel Verlag, Munchen
-Wasserturme, 1988
Publisher: Schirmer-Mosel Verlag, Munchen
-Hochofen, 1990
Publisher: Schirmer-Mosel Verlag, Munchen
-Tipologie Typolhien Typologies, 1990
Publisher: Schirmer-Mosel Verlag, Munchen
-Pennsylvania Coal Mine Tipples, 1991
Publisher: Schirmer-Mosel Verlag, Munchen
-Gasbehalter, 1993
Publisher: Schirmer-Mosel Verlag, Munchen
-Fabrikhallen, 1994
Publisher: Schirmer-Mosel Verlag, Munchen
-Forderturme, 1997
Publisher: Schirmer-Mosel Verlag, Munchen
-Zeche Hannibal, 2000
Publisher: Schirmer-Mosel Verlag, Munchen
-Industrielandschaften, 2002
Publisher: Schirmer-Mosel Verlag, Munchen
-Typologien, 2003
Publisher: Schirmer-Mosel Verlag, Munchen